Quote Originally Posted by Vincent Butler View Post
Ironside, is Social Security part of that, do you know? As to the unemployment coming down, it depends on which number you look at. You have the U3 number, those unemployed looking for work, and that is the one that is dropping. The U6 is the number of total unemployed, and last I knew, it was above 10%. Just keep in mind the media was screaming at Bush for 5% unemployment, yet had no problems with 8% under Obama.
Social security is pretty much the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) federal program. So pensions, veteran's aid and disabillity. I haven't dug down the specifics, but pensions are the vast majority of it. Unemployment insurence isn't part of is and is back to pre-crisis levels since this years (with the higher unemployment).

For the unemployment, this graph covers it. So you can't talk about U6 and 5% under Bush. It was the worst economic crisis since the great depression, the numbers are improving and the US is recovering above average. That's why Obama gets way more leeway than Bush.